Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Chloricia Lake Myers is holding a book signing for her new book “Inquisitive Island Iguanas, Hunger and Humans” from 1 to 5 p.m. Aug. 6 at Ebony Arts and Gifts in Chesapeake Square Mall.

Myers is a retired teacher from Suffolk Public Schools who has followed her passion to be a published author. She grew up in the Virgin Islands and realized that many picture books took place in different countries, teaching students about various cultures around the world. However, she noticed there was not one for the Virgin Islands.

Her first book “Ian and Igor, Inquisitive Island Iguanas” came out in 2019. It is a picture book that follows two iguanas and their adventures around the Virgin Islands. These adventures are a fictitious take on Myers’ years growing up on the island.

“I wanted to show the world a little bit of my adventures through the eyes of iguanas,” said Myers. “I chose iguanas because they are native to the Virgin Islands, but the people there aren’t too keen about them since they like to eat their crops. I wanted to change the perspective and give them some grace.”

Many aspects of the culture of the Virgin Islands can be seen throughout the books as the characters talk in dialect and sing an old calypso song. Ian and Igor always meet new animals during the adventures, including a mongoose.

“What’s fun about having a mongoose is that it’s not an animal you typically read about in children’s books,” said Myer. “But, they are native to the Virgin Islands.”

Not only do the books teach about the islands, but Myers has embedded vocabulary words to help children as they read. She intentionally puts these words in context with a glossary in the back to help children expand their vocabulary while reading.

“I also separately sell an activity packet to go with the book to get children involved and engaged in a fun way,” said Myers.

She plans to write more about Ian and Igor’s adventures around the island. She plans on perhaps six to seven books, but no more than 10. As the characters meet other animals in their journeys, Myer has thought of writing stories about those adventures.

Readers can find both “Inquisitive Island Iguanas” books on most online bookstores, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Target. Learn more at rrreflectionstories.com.